Josh Karp

Born with a cell phone in one hand and a tablet in the other, Josh Karp has followed his love of technology through to the present day. As a Special Correspondent at BGR, Josh covers press conferences, trade shows and other events around the world. An expert in all things mobile, Josh has more than eight years of experience covering the wireless industry.

Hey folks. Following Nokia’s early morning press conference here in Barcelona, we got a litttttle bit of hands-on time with the freshly dropped Pureview 808. The software isn’t quite finished yet, but we did get some time to play with the audio recording and camera apps. Really cool stuff, and we can definitely see other manufacturers forced to follow suit. The handset features the flagship 41 megapixel camera, a 4″ screen, 512 mb of RAM with 16GB of onboard storage, a 1.3 Ghz single core chip, and a loft 450 Euro pricetag. Expect to see this sucker in May. Hit the link below to check out the gallery!

Rounding out the trio of smartphones HTC unveiled at its Mobile World Congress 2012 press conference on Sunday is the HTC One V, an entry-level smartphone that picks up where the HTC Legend left off. This will be the most affordable One-branded smartphone HTC launches in the first half of the year, and while the specs don’t hold a candle to the One X or One V, this is absolutely a phone that will go far among budget-conscious consumers in Europe and other regions where the phone will be released. Check out our hands-on photo gallery below, and hit the break for the rest of our early impressions.

The chaos of day 0 at Mobile World Congress is finally winding down, and HTC’s action-packed press conference is now behind us. The obvious star of the show was the HTC One X, but there’s no denying that its mid-range counterpart packs a massive punch as well. We just spent some time putting the HTC One S through the paces and first things first: this smartphone is amazingly thin. At 7.9 millimeters, it’s the thinnest smartphone HTC has ever built and it really is amazing that the company managed to pack such high-end specs into a device this slim. Check out our hands-on photos in the gallery below and hit the break for the rest of our initial impressions.

It’s finally here… the flagship smartphone we’ve all been waiting for… HTC’s One X. BGR first revealed details surrounding HTC’s high-end One X back in November, and the wait has been grueling but it’s finally behind us. This sleek smartphone is every bit as beastly as we all knew it would be, and then some. Starting with the 4.7-inch Super LCD2 display that features 720p HD resolution, this is easily one of the best screens we’ve ever seen on an HTC phone. The quad-core Tegra 3 appears to be an absolute monster, and we didn’t even come close to tripping it up during our hands-on time with the phone. Check out our photo gallery below, and hit the break for more.

We’re here in sunny Barcelona, Spain on day 0 of the annual Mobile World Congress trade show — yes, several companies couldn’t even wait for day 1 to hold their press conferences — and Sony’s media event has just wrapped up. In case you missed it, Sony unveiled two devices at this year’s show, one of which was the sleek new Xperia P smartphone that will launch in the second quarter. The handset’s design is reminiscent of earlier Xperia handsets, but like the other members of the “Xperia NXT” family, it features a clear strip near the bottom of the phone that adds a variety of unique lighting features to the device. The phone’s 3.5-inch display leaves a bit to be desired compared to market leaders like Samsung, and colors weren’t nearly as vivid as they are on phones like the Galaxy S II or Galaxy Nexus. The Xperia P will also launch with a dual-core 1GHz processor while the competition is rolling out devices with NVIDIA’s 1.5GHz quad-core chipset, and the difference is noticeable; the Xperia P isn’t laggy per se, but moving around Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich feels a bit slow compared to some other phones. We weren’t able to spend much time with the Xperia P — or any time at all with the Xperia U — but check out a few photos in the gallery below and tune in for HTC’s press conference, which is scheduled to kick off at 2:30 p.m. EST / 11:30 a.m.

We spent some time with LG’s Optimus 4X HD and Optimus Vu here at Mobile World Congress earlier on Sunday, and now we’ve got another one of LG’s new Android smartphones on hand. This time it’s the Optimus 3D Max, and there’s good news and bad news: the good news is that this new smartphone is definitely an improvement over the original Optimus 3D it replaces. The bad news is that it will launch running Android 2.3 Gingerbread while the rest of LG’s high-end lineup enjoys Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The 1.2GHz dual-core processor in the Optimus 3D Max does a good job of jumping around LG’s Optimus UI, lackluster though it may be, and the dual 3D cameras on the back of the device weigh in at 5-megapixels a piece. The 3D implementation still isn’t much more than a gimmick to us, however, and there’s no way we would opt for this handset over the much more impressive Optimus 4X HD. Those willing to make do with Android 2.3 because they love having 3D features on their smartphones may feel differently though, so check out our hands-on images in the gallery below.

During today’s LG media preview event here at MWC, we got a chance to spend a bit of hands-on time with a few of LG’s new 2012 devices. Among the three handsets unveiled today was the Optimus Vu, which is LG’s answer to the gigantic Samsung Galaxy Note. This not-quite-tablet, not-quite-smartphone sports an impressive spec sheet, with a 5-inch XGA display sporting a 4:3 aspect ratio, a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, an 8-megapixel rear camera and a massive 2,080 mAh battery. Oh, and did we mention this sexy beast is only 8.5mm thick? In use, we found the device to be surprisingly fast and responsive, and the included stylus seemed more or less functional in operation. It’s definitely not as elaborate as Samsung’s “S Pen” but it does the job, if a stylus is your thing. We’re also not huge fans of LG’s UI on top of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, but at least it’s an improvement over older versions of the UI. Check the hands-on gallery below!

LG took the wraps off a number of smartphones leading up to Mobile World Congress this past week, and now we’re finally getting some hands-on time with all of them. The LG Vu garnered most of the attention last week thanks to its Galaxy Note-like supersized stature, but the high-definition LG Optimus 4X HD definitely shouldn’t be ignored. This quad-core Tegra 3-powered Ice Cream Sandwich phone features a 4.7-inch 1280 x 720-pixel IPS display that is definitely more impressive than earlier LG screens, but it can’t quite compete with the Super AMOLED panels Samsung has been using on its recent smartphones. LG also included a new version of its Optimus UI on top of Android 4.0 and among the variety of Android skins on the market today, LG’s is definitely one of our least favorite. Navigating the UI and multitasking is lightning fast thanks to the Tegra 3 chip though, and this is easily among the most impressive smartphones LG has built to date. Check out our hands-on images in the gallery below!

Ready for some quality time with Motorola’s new Xoom tablet? The folks from the big glowing red M sat down with us this afternoon and provided a bit of a sneak peak into the world of the Xoom tablet. While the Android 3.0-based device wasn’t running a fully functional version of the new OS, we did have a chance to get a sneak peak at some of the upcoming device’s capabilities. Much of what this thing can do is tied directly to what Android 3.0 can do, which is to say… it can do a whole lot. Video conferencing, integrating Skype, tabbed browsing, and that’s just the beginning. Moto re-iterated Verizon’s claim that all devices initially sold with the 3G chip will be hardware-upgradeable to the new 4G LTE chips as soon as they become available. All it will take is a quick trip to your local Verizon Store to have the device serviced. Ahh, if only all devices were that future-proof. Hang tight for our video to upload — it’s coming! More →

Following Thursday’s fast-paced Verizon 4G LTE announcement, we were eager to get a bit of hands-on time with one of the keynote’s stars, the Samsung LTE Smartphone. The as-yet-named handset is spec’ed to impress — with a 4.3″ Super OLED screen, 1 GHz processor, 8 megapixel rear-facing and 1.3 megapixel front-facing shooters, and more, all running atop Android 2.2. In use, the handset proved to be speedy and responsive, which is becoming quite the common theme (something you won’t hear us complaining about, especially considering the choppy beginnings of Androids initial UI interaction just a year or two ago). We’re expecting a more fitting, superlative-drenched name to be announced as soon as Samsung and VZW get around to blessing us with a release date and pricing info, but in the mean time, enjoy the hands-on video after the break! More →

Fresh off this morning’s Verizon/Sling partnership announcement, Sling took some time to show us its best and brightest. We got a chance to see the Windows Phone 7 version of its Sling Player app in action, and were definitely impressed with the quality of the streaming video. Sling mentioned that the WP7 version of its software delivers the highest-quality content out of all of its mobile apps, and based on what we saw today we’re certainly not going to argue with that contention.

We also had a chance to spend some time with Sling’s iPad App which, suitably, offers a much richer and more immersive Sling experience than is available on any of its smaller-format apps. Video quality was amazing, and choosing content from the on-board channel guide was easier than using a full size TV and remote.

The company was more or less mum about their upcoming Verizon partnership, but did confirm that they will be offering a subscription based service which will come complete with a totally unique-to-Verizon Sling box unit that will be either subsidized or free depending on the specifics of the Sling subscription that the user opts in to. More details on that will certainly be emerging in the coming weeks and months, but expect to see it hit the streets sometime in late Winter/early Spring.

Read on to see a video of the player in action and our image gallery! More →

Following our press briefing with the PlayBook early today, we wanted to get a bit more up-close and personal with the BlackBerry Bridge software. Bridge, for those that don’t know, is the bit of technology that connects the BlackBerry handset to the PlayBook and allows for the use of BlackBerry Messenger, BlackBerry Email, and BlackBerry Calendar on the PlayBook itself. For the time being, Bridge will provide the PlayBook with all of its email, calendar, and BBM functionality — there are no stand-alone applications on the device. You read that correctly: without a BlackBerry on hand, you won’t be able to access any of your BlackBerry-specific messaging software. Don’t get us started. Regardless of this fact, RIM was kind enough to give us a demo of the Bridge connection and, for what it is, it works just as advertised. Any edits on the PlayBook are mirrored on your Berry, and vice versa. Drafts saved are accessible on both, and because all of the data is routed through the BlackBerry’s data connection, all Enterprise policies will remain secure and intact, which is definitely a concern for security minded companies looking to integrate tablets into their corporate environment. All told, Bridge does exactly what Bridge is supposed to do… the only question is whether you can live with having to tether your tablet every time you want to send a message. More →

You have to feel just a little sympathy for the Samsung SCH-i520. Showcased next to handsets with names like Thunderbolt and BIONC, this poor little guy is only identifiable by his model name — it’s simply referred to as the “Samsung 4G LTE Smartphone” in Verizon’s official press release. Aside from the name, the device does boast a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, 1GHz processor, 8 megapixel rear-facing camera, 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera, and Android 2.2… so you can’t feel too, too bad for the device. We were given a few minutes with the i520 — which is all we need to form an opinion — and are ready to give you the skinny. Hit the bounce below and let’s do this thing. More →